"One is we should never give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams," Nyad said after her historic swim.

Afterward, she thanked her team of supporters, and that included Jenifer and Dane Clark, who played a big role along the way. The Clarks were at their home in Dunkirk, Md., on Monday, cheering and celebrating their part in her journey.

"We mostly route boats, but we do route swimmers and rowers and people who want to do crazy things in oceans," Dane Clark told 11 News.

The Clarks are internationally known. Jenifer is an oceanographer, and Dane is a meteorologist. They first got the call from Nyad in April 2011 when she wanted them to help her achieve her dream.

"She called up on the phone and she said, 'Hi, I'm Diana Nyad. Do you know who I am?'" Jenifer Clark remembered. "She asked us to do research and find out how the Gulf Stream looked down there that time of year."

From their house in Dunkirk, the couple helped route Nyad's two attempts in 2011 and once in 2012.They met Nyad in Key West after jellyfish got the best of her in 2011.

Before the latest swim, Nyad was trying to pinpoint an ideal swim time within a six-week window. Good conditions include water temperatures in the 80s, winds no stronger than 5-10 mph and a favorable current.

"This time, the Gulf Stream was oriented toward the northeast for her. It usually is toward the east, so what we found was a real good time toward the northeast, so she could go with the flow with that," Jenifer Clark said.

"As it got closer, we were talking every day on the phone. She would call us and say, 'Hey, what's going on?'" Dane Clark said.

During the swim, the couple communicated via email with navigators who were with Nyad on the water.

"Yesterday, we saw something coming up north of Cuba, and we warned her that something was coming, and they were ready. They did have a thunderstorm, but it wasn't too bad, so they missed it," Dane Clark said.

Finally, they got the news for which they'd been waiting.

"As old as we are, it was nice to know that someone our age could actually achieve their dream. I wrote on the bottom of her web page, 'Never, never, never give up,'" Jenifer Clark said.